Tina Thompson fired after four seasons as Virginia women's basketball coach

Tina Thompson was fired as Virginia women's basketball coach after completing her fourth losing season.

Thompson had one year left on his contract when he was terminated by the Virginia athletic director.

Williams said in a statement that the program has not experienced the kind of success they have been expecting.

Thompson failed to guide Virginia to a top-half finish in the conference in her first head-coaching job.

After a loss to Wake Forest in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, the Virginia men's basketball team ended the year with a 5-22 record.

A national search will begin immediately to find Thompson's successor.

Thompson was the first pick in the inaugural WNBA draft in 1997. Her playing career included four consecutive titles with the Houston Comets and eight All-WNBA nominations, but she also spent time with the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm. She was the league's all-time leading scorer. Team USA won two Olympic gold medals with Thompson.

Virginia's women's basketball program has a history of success dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. Between 1988 and 1996 the Virginia made 24 NCAA tournament appearances and advanced to seven Elite Eights. Virginia made three consecutive Final Fours from 1990 to 1992 and fell in the national championship game in 1991, with the help of Dawn Staley.

In 2000 and 1993, Virginia won the regular-season and conference tournament titles.

The program recently produced a WNBA draft pick, who played half her career under Thompson before being drafted in the first round by the Phoenix Mercury and traded to the New York Liberty.